The present embodiments relate to an X-ray apparatus comprising a C-arm mounted on a robotic arm.
X-ray apparatuses have a C-arm arranged on a stand, which stands on the floor. The C-arm allows rotation by way of a rotation guide about an axis which is generally oriented horizontally. In the rotation guide, the C-arm can be rotated around an isocenter along an arc-shaped guideway. When the C-arm is moved at a considerable speed along the rotation guide, a lightweight C-arm may be used to achieve the best possible dynamics. An angiographic X-ray apparatus can be cited as an example here. For this reason, C-arms made from extruded sections are normally used which have an essentially rectangular hollow profile in terms of their cross-section.
Instead of a floor stand and connecting the C-arm by the rotation guide, which elements serve to implement the required levels of freedom of movement for the C-arm motion and positioning, a C-arm may be mounted on an industrial robot with a robotic arm and a corresponding control facility. The required levels of freedom are guaranteed by the six axes of movement of the robot. The C-arm may be mounted and may be capable of rotation directly on the robotic arm.
The distance between the radiation source and the radiation detector, which may be the film-focus distance, can be varied by a lifting device. The radiation receiver may be moved in linear fashion along the central beam. As a result, the lifting device is situated directly adjacent to the radiation receiver at the end of the C-arm. This is disadvantageous insofar as the C-arm overhangs a long way as a result because the lifting device, which enables the desired lift, extends a relatively long way outwards when viewed radially. This sometimes restricts the movability of the C-arm since some positions cannot be reached on account of a possible collision of the overhanging lifting device. The center of gravity of the C-arm that results from the arrangement employed there is also not necessarily ideal.